Death's Door

Fever had me down all week in bed,

Half-crazy thoughts swimmin' 'round in my head;

My eyes saw lights, my ears heard sounds,

The sweat did pour and the blood did pound;

I said "Mama tell me true, tell me what's the score,"

She said "Son you look like you're at death's door."

Later in the night when the house was asleep,

I felt myself risin' up dead on my feet;

Halfway awake, halfway asleep,

Walkin' out in the snow down the dark empty streets;

I came to a house, walked up on the porch,

Said to myself "Looks like you're at death's door."

I heard a piano pound and a saxophone wail,

As I stumbled up the steps holdin' on to the rail;

I heard women laugh, I heard women sing,

As I looked through the door on that crazy scene;

I said "Mr. Death at least one thing's for sure--

You throw one swingin' party" and I knocked on the door."

"Oh I don't know if I'm alive or I've died,

All I know is that it's freezing outside;

Won't you take me in to your smoky affair,

I'm chilled to the bone out here on the stair".

I knocked as hard as my strength would allow,

Til the voice from inside asked "Who is it now?"

I said "Mr. Death I know you're partyin' hard,

From the din in the air and the cars in the yard;

From the look of things I'd say you're my kind of guy,

From the look of things I'd say we see eye to eye."

I knocked on that door til it shook on the frame,

And the voice said "There's no one here by that name."

I figure I stood there in disbelief,

With more sense of rejection than sense of relief;

I figure I fell into some kind of swoon,

Off the steps into the snow beneath that cold December moon;

All that I know is when I finally awoke,

I was back home in bed and the fever broke.